Egg cartons



July 7, 1959 w. J. SCHWERTFEGER EGG CARTONS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Fe-b. 1. 1957 INVENTOiQ.

ATTOKIYLK y 7, 1959 w. .1. SCHWERTFEGER 2,893,619

EGG CARTONS 2 Shets-Sheet 2' Filed Feb. 1. 1957 I II I I Mill-l AINVENTOR.

EGG CARTONS Walter J. Schwertfeger, Englewood, NJ.

Application February 1, 1957, Serial No. 637,843

1 Claim. (Cl. 229-29) The object of this invention is to simplify retailegg cartons for holding, for example, one dozen eggs. In the packing ofeggs for wholesale distribution, it is general practice to pack the eggsin molded pulp containers each customarily holding two dozen and onehalf, in rows, each row of six eggs. These filled molded pulp containersare superimposed in a wood box, to make up the multiple desired forwholesale distribution of the packed assembly. For retail sale it hasbeen customary to take the eggs from the molded pulp containers andrepack them in cardboard cartons usually of one dozen each, and thesecartons require strong internal division walls for holding the eggsspaced from each other. The cost of carton and assembly adds materiallyto the retail cost of the eggs. The molded pulp containers are ofinexpensive blown pulp and after repacking are discarded or sometimesshipped in bulk to the packing house for repacking. Their life, in anyevent, is short.

By means of my invention a new use is provided for the filler flats,i.e., they are severed into retail units and so associated with aninexpensive and simple outer covering, the two constituting a carton,that costs are reduced and at the same time adequate protection is givento the eggs in reail handling and prior thereto.

The filled molded pulp container section and cover member are so formedand associated that hollow posts of the container extend throughapertures in the bottom wall of the cover member and are fitted thereto,restraining the base egg-bearing contact areas of egg receiving pocketsfrom passing below the cover bottom wall.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a plan view of the carton cover blank.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the blank formed up into operativeposition, but without containing a filled molded pulp container section.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the closed molded pulp container and cartoncover showing in dotted lines the bottom wall apertures.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through the combined filled molded pulpcontainer and carton cover, taken below the tuck-in flaps of the cover,but leaving the eggs undisturbed.

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section taken on the line 55, Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 6-6, Fig. 5looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawings, I will first describe the carton wrap. Itconsists of a sheet of cardboard which customarily will be printed withmatter indicating the dealer, etc. The wrap is provided with scoredlongitudinal fold lines at 2, the wrap itself being designated by thenumeral 1, Fig. 1. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the carton wrap isformed with inwardly directed lines of cut at 3 bounding twowedge-shaped connecting fingers 4 adapted to enter passages at 5 inorder to releasably connect folded top panels 6 as indicated generallyin Fig. 2.

When the carton cover is folded and panel flaps 6x connected as shown inFig. 2, the central panel 7 of the blank forms the bottom of thestructure, and panel 7 is formed with a row of spaced apertures at 8,which in the embodiment are dumb-bell shaped.

Any type of molded pulp container may be coacting member of theassembly, provided it is formed with rows of spaced posts, correspondingwith the rows of eggs held by the flat. In the drawing, I have shown asection cut from the standard wholesale box molded pulp container andwhich has pockets for two rows of eggs, six eggs in each row. Thedownwardly directed posts of the fiat, in two rows of six each, areindicated at 8x, Fig. 5. When the egg-containing molded pulp containeris placed in position relatively to the carton cover, the posts enterthe apertures 8 in the bottom wall 7, and when the carton cover flaps 6are closed and latched, the flat section, with its eggs, will be heldagainst movement in any direction.

In Figures 4 to 6, the eggs held by the molded pulp container, andindicated at 9, are, as to each egg, bounded by four pyramidal postsindicated at 10, the base of each egg being seated in sockets betweenthe posts. The posts may be connected by reinforcing ribs 11. No claimis made to the filler fiat per se, and any type of egg holding moldedpulp container having rows of posts projected downwardly, may beemployed.

It will be understood that the formation of dumb-bell apertures in thebase wall 7 of the folded carton cover may be substituted by two rows ofunconnected apertures, and that the method of latching the downturnflaps 6x of the carton cover may be widely varied. In fact, frictionalone will, in some cases, sufiice when the eggs are large and givelight pressure upon the flaps 6x, although in general practice the walls6 will be held in the position of Fig. 2 by suitable means of which oneexemplification has been shown and described.

It will be understood that various modifications may be made in the formand arrangement of the elements illustrated for the embodiment, andparticularly with respect to the form of the filler fiat and means forconnecting the top wall of the carton cover.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

An egg carton for retail sale consisting of a cardboard cover member anda molded pulp egg container, the pulp container being formed withdownwardly extending parallel rows of egg receiving pockets which areopen at their tops, and the said container also being formed with spacedhollow posts downwardly extending to end positions located below baseegg-bearing contact portions of said pockets, the cover member embodyinga base wall of approximately the width of the molded pulp container,side walls and areas adapted to cover the top of the said container,said cover member being formed with apertures in its bottom wall and thehollow posts of the said molded pulp fitting said apertures andextending downwardly therethrough, whilst restraining the baseeggbearing contact areas of said pockets from passing below the coverbottom wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,010,683 Williams Aug. 6, 1935 2,013,874 Whalley Sept. 10, 19352,226,603 Gagen Dec. 31, 1940 2,270,030 Benoit Jan. 13, 1942 2,345,274Manson Mar. 28, 1944 2,646,202 Gibbons July 21, 1953 2,691,456 ShepardOct. 12, 1954

